1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming fluorescent layers of a plasma display panel and a method therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus which is used in manufacturing a plasma display panel (PDP) and which forms, on a substrate having a plurality of ribs (partition walls) on the surface thereof, a fluorescent layer in each of the spaces formed between the ribs and a method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A PDP is a display panel having, as a base, a pair of substrates (typically, glass plates) disposed opposite to each other with a discharge space sandwiched therebetween. In a PDP, by disposing a fluorescent layer of an ultraviolet-ray excitation type in the discharge space, it is possible to display a color since the fluorescent layer is excited by electric discharge. PDPs for displaying colors have three fluorescent layers of R (red), G (Green), and B (Blue).
Conventionally, fluorescent layers of R, G, and B were manufactured by successively applying, on a substrate, fluorescent pastes for the three colors containing powder-like fluorescent particles as a major component by screen printing method, followed by drying and sintering (for example, see Japanese Unexamined (Kokai) Patent Publication No. Hei 5(1993)-299019).
However, as the screen size of PDPs increase, an alignment shift is brought about between a positioning pattern and a mask pattern of the ribs due to the expansion and contraction of the screen mask, an error in positioning, and the like, so that it is becoming more and more difficult to achieve precise application of the fluorescent pastes between the ribs.